The Experimental Cosmos

9. Holding A Weapon

We trudge through grass towards the weaponry training Arena. Astha walks behind me, and I hear her nervously touching her gun holster every two seconds.

We were informed at breakfast today that the actual tranquilizer guns will be handed to us only in the hours of training, since half knowledge is always dangerous.

As we reach the arena, Mr. Jerry makes us all stand in a semi circle, with targets fixed in the ground in front of us. He walks by each of us with a gunny bag filled with the tranquilizer guns and a pack of 10 empty darts attached to each.

Almost everyone hesitates to pick it up. It is dread, not fear, that is consuming our minds right now. Dread of what this thing could do. Dread of what WE could do.

I say almost, because Bella picks it up with shady ease, and everyone exchanges a look because it really seems like she has done this before. The only other one who tries to pick up the gun with swagger is Mike, but the short, sharp breath he exhales right after gives away the fact that he is, infact, a human.

I hold the gun in my hand and carefully turn it over, admiring the shiny metal and arrangement. The only unnerving thing right now is that I feel something holding this gun that I never thought I would feel. I feel Power, and I feel an urge to conquer all that restricts me in a hungry sort of way.

I try to focus on my breaths and close my eyes, but the only thing I can see in the darkness is the message that was pressed into my hands yesterday.

"Okay, so. Today we are going to start with the posture, breathing and mental readiness needed to use a weapon. Now, I doubt we are going to use any darts today, but the gun is to give your mind practice of control,and to give more time for your muscle memory to build. At the end of this class you will shoot 3 darts each, and try to hit as close to the target as you possibly can.

Now. The basics of posture- space between legs, hold the gun at shoulder level, and Mandatorily, BOTH eyes open.

Basics of breathing- make your heartbeats as steady as you can. Inhale deeply and exhale about half of the breath and hold it as you fire, but holding your breath for more than 5 seconds can make your heartbeat go up again, so careful about the time as well. "

Then Mr. Jerry goes around each of us demonstrating how to insert the darts and set the gun. He also explains to us the cleaning and maintainence procedures and teaches us some techniques to make our minds calm, alert and responsible.

At the end of class, he makes us all line up and tells us to load the darts and get ready for the three shots.

Astha takes hold of my hand and for the first time, my instinct is not to wrench it away. We take our places in the line, Astha in front of me, and Mike and Bella some two three places ahead of us.

Mike stands infront of the target, shoulders squared, and for a moment I am taken back into memory lane to 5 years ago, when a fight had broken out between Mike and LC, and Mike had threatened him with their house's safety gun. Though they never kept it loaded, the incident was a hot topic for quiet gossip for more than a year.

My senses jerk back to the present with the sound of Mike pulling the trigger, and he is actually the first one who has managed to hit atleast somewhere on the target board. He smiles and nods at Mr. Jerry, and handing the gun to Bella, walks off to the side, hands in his pockets, smirk on his face and eyes towards the sky.

Bella loads the gun and aims with cruel precision, and I know her dart is going to hit the target before she even fires. She pulls the trigger so confidently it almost seems cocky, but it pays off- because when the dart lodges itself at the exact centre of the target, she does a slow turn and looking into the eyes of the girl behind her, walks away to stand with Mike.

I watch Asta take her place infront of the target and I think she won't really be able to do this on the first day itself because she is such a nice person. Her first two darts miss the target completely, but then Bella chuckles, and hearing her sets Astha's jaw so hard it is actually intimidating. She fires the third and it lands so close to the centre that I gasp, and even Bella acknowledges her with a little nod, both her eyebrows raised.

I take my place infront of the target and lift the gun up. The only thing rushing through my veins is a controlled calm, and somehow my brain knows my eyes are looking exactly where they should be, and exhaling half a breath, I firmly press down on the trigger.

My body feels a different sensation, like I am being hurtled through the air but my minds knows I will land on my feet, just doesn't know when.

And then the dart completes its journey and hits the board. Exactly in the centre.

That afternoon as I enter for lunch, every face that was at class with me turns to look, and Astha yells and claps no matter how much I try to shut her up. Cherry blocks my path and steps on my toes, looking into my eyes with mascara- loaded contraptions, and I smirk and jerk my foot away without a warning, making her stumble. Some time ago I didn't know that my success was my triumph, but I do now, and I never plan to let this be my doom.

That evening, I have no classes, so I wander around till I come across Jay's backpack lying outside the science lab. My mind fills with ideas of sweet revenge for taking my diary, so I crouch down and open the first compartment and start to rummage inside for something that will make him run after me the way I ran after him.

I spot a smaller compartment behind his books, and I yank open the zipper. I reach inside, but what I find makes me wish I had never opened it in the first place.

Inside the compartment are vials of Sodium Pentothal, and empty syringes and needles. I take a few up in my hand to have a closer look, but before I can do so, I feel a shadow fall on me, and I look up to see Jay, eyes fixated on the vials in my hand.

What does trust mean? When can trust save you and when can it kill you? Can you really ever know someone?
Follow the story to see how Nebula finds the answers to these questions!